stance, which, though it might not prevent European goods
coming so far, as being so uncommon, might prevent the skins, which
are a common article, from passing through more than two or three
different tribes, who might use them for their own cloathing, and
send others, which they esteemed less valuable, as being of their own
animals, eastward, till they reach the traders from Europe.

SECTION VI.

_Progress along the Coast.--Cape Elizabeth.--Cape St
Hermogenes.--Accounts of Beering's Voyage very defective.--Point
Banks--Cape Douglas.--Cape Bede.--Mount St Augustin.--Hopes of finding
a Passage up an Inlet.--The Ships proceed up it.--Indubitable Marks
of its being a River.--Named Cook's River.--The Ships return down
it.--Various Visits from the Natives.--Lieutenant King lands, and
takes Possession of the Country.--His Report.--The Resolution
runs aground on a Shoal.--Reflections on the Discovery of Cook's
River.--The considerable Tides in it accounted for._

After leaving Prince William's Sound, I steered to the S.W., with a
gentle breeze at N.N.E.; which, at four o'clock, the next morning,
was succeeded by a calm, and soon after, the calm was succeeded by
a breeze from S.W. This freshening, and veering to N.W., we still
continued to stretch to the S.W., and passed a lofty promontory,
situated in the latitude of 59 deg. 10', and the longitude of 207 deg. 45'.
As the discovery of it was connected with the Princess Elizabeth's
birth-day, I named it _Cape Elizabeth_. Beyond it we could see no
land; so that, at first, we were in hopes that it was the western
extremity of the continent; but not long after, we saw our mistake,
for fresh land appeared in sight, bearing W.S.W.

The wind, by this time, had increased to a very strong gale, and
forced us to a good distance from the coast. In the afternoon of
the 22d, the gale abated, and we stood to the northward for Cape
Elizabeth, which at noon, the next day, bore W., ten leagues distant.
At the same time, a new land was seen, bearing S. 77 deg. W., which was
supposed to connect Cape Elizabeth with the land we had seen to the
westward.

The wind continued at W., and I stood to the southward till noon the
next day, when we were within three leagues of the coast which we had
discovered on the 23d. It here formed a point that bore W.N.W. At the
same time more land was seen extending to the southward, as far as
S.S.W., the whole being twelve or fifteen leagues distant. On it